The Gift
by FlowerPot21
Summary: WC: It's two days before Warrick's birthday and Catherine tries to find him the right gift only to find it and give another.


The Gift

It was early in the morning and Catherine was worn out. Actually, she was more tired than usual. She had just pulled a double and she was more than ready to go home. She thought about her plush bed, and the warm covers protecting her from the coolness of her home and blessed sleep. Thinking about that made her lethargic.

The rather small writing on the paperwork frustrated her to the point of tears. She put her head down on the table and bawled. She had been crying a lot lately over the dumbest things. Earlier she had cried because her locker wouldn't close all the way, and Nick had to comfort her. She didn't know how Sara could do it. Sara could go for days without a good nights' sleep and be happy as a lark. Catherine envied the younger woman. She cried harder.

Grissom walked into the break room to find Catherine crying hysterically.

"Cath, what's the matter?" He asked in his cool, calm, yet concerned manner.

"I think I'm getting too old for this job," she wailed.

"You're only thirty-six," Grissom said in a dry tone.

She sniffled and calmed down a bit. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I think I've been working too hard, and normally, I would say that about Sara."

"You have been working more than usual," Grissom agreed. "Why don't you take a few days off? You don't look so good."

"I feel like complete and utter shit," she said miserably. 

"Go home Cath," Grissom said. "You need some serious rest. Warrick will be back from Chicago tomorrow, so you might be able to take the week off, if you want."

"Oh shit!" Catherine cursed. "I totally forgot! His birthday is two days from now and I haven't gotten him a gift yet! Shit!"

"See, you're stressed out," Grissom said. "Go home Catherine."

Catherine sighed in agitation and got up and left. She went to the locker room to retrieve her things. She struggled with her locker and she began to cry all over again.

"Close!" She yelled at the inanimate object. 

Finally, she just kicked her locker and it closed tightly, sporting a new dent in it. When she got out to the parking lot, she stopped at the side of the building and threw up in the small shrubbery. The stress was killing her. All she needed was a bed and a pillow. Catherine never in her life had a problem with sleep. She would take naps without a fuss as a child, and now as an adult, she would go to sleep in the break room. But lately, sleep had been eluding her, and she felt herself becoming weaker everyday. It was as if she was waiting for something-other than for Warrick to come home- and she was afraid that if she slept, she would miss it.

When she got home, she crashed on her sofa and fell instantly asleep. Her exhausted body did not allow her to go to her bedroom and change clothes. It demanded sleep and that's what she did.

***

Catherine strolled through store after store, in search of the perfect gift for Warrick.

__

I could just wrap myself up and be his present, she thought._ No, I did that last year._

She smiled at the memory. 

__

He likes to read, she thought. _I could get him a book that he wanted. Naaah. God, Warrick you are incredibly hard to shop for._

He wasn't hard to please though, and no one knew that better than Catherine. She wondered why it was so difficult. She browsed through the store looking at things, trying to figure out if he would like them if she gave them to him. She became lightheaded and grabbed hold of the clothes rack for support. The room began to spin and she blacked out.

She didn't know how long she was passed out, but she opened her eyes slowly, focusing in on a group of people that had crowded around her. Now she knew what Grissom meant by mob mentality.

"Miss, are you alright? You passed out," a store clerk said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, looking down at her pager when it went off. "I have to go."

"Hold on there," the clerk said. "Do you need an ambulance?"

"No!" She yelled. "I AM FINE."

She turned around and stormed off. Her nerves were frazzled and she tried to calm down on the way to the airport.

She took deep breath to cool off. She felt bad for yelling at the clerk. He was just looking out for her. She just passed out for who knew how long in the middle of his store. Of course that was cause for panic. At least he did his job.

Catherine was excited about seeing Warrick. She didn't get to go to the seminar with him this time around and they had never spent more than twenty four hours away from each other. Two weeks was way too long in her book, and she missed him terribly, even though he called her almost everyday. She had never been to Chicago, so she wanted to know what was up there. From the way he described it, it sounded like a beautiful city. He promised to take her and Lindsay up there someday.

Catherine checked herself in the mirror to see if she looked somewhat decent. She was pale, so she pinched her cheeks to make them glow a little, put on a bit of lipstick, and got out the car.

She waited patiently for him at the gate. Her anticipation grew as a slew of people came out. Finally, she saw Warrick and he spotted her. She smiled and ran up to him and gave him a passionate kiss. Passersby smiled and "awed" at the couple as they were reunited.

They pulled away and looked into each other's eyes.

"I missed you," Warrick said rubbing the small of her back.

"I missed you too," Catherine said smiling. "Oh I'm so glad you're home baby. I was beginning to get lonely."

They kissed again. When Catherine pulled away, she became dizzy and her legs gave out under her. Warrick supported her and pulled her up.

"Sweetie are you okay?" He asked pushing a lock of hair from her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said putting a hand on her forehead. "I'm just excited is all."

He kissed her cheek and wrapped his arm around her waist and they headed out together.

When they got home, they headed straight for the bedroom. They kissed passionately and began to take off their clothes. Two weeks without physical contact of any kind between them was torture. They had been with each other for two years, secretly, and every time they made love, it felt like the first time. They were afraid of what peoples' reaction would be to their relationship if they told.

Catherine was now clad in her bra and panties and Warrick only had on his boxers. Catherine leaned in to kiss him again, but she collapsed into his arms. She was only out for two seconds then she was conscious again.

"Cath, are you sure you're okay," Warrick asked. 

"Yeah," she said, still a little light headed.

"Griss told me that you've been working too hard lately," Warrick said. "You need to rest."

Too tired to argue with him, she let him carry her to the bed and he covered her.

"Thanks," she whispered, drifting off to sleep. "I need this."

Warrick laid next to her and they both fell asleep.

Later, Warrick woke up and he observed Catherine as she slept. Never had he seen her so tired before. She was in a very deep sleep. Nothing could wake her. He began to wonder how much she'd been working. She'd been working doubles and OT for a while. Sometimes, she did get passionate about a case and would do anything to solve it. She was in REM cycle. Her eyelids fluttered as her eyes scanned whatever the scenery was in her sub-conscious. He kissed her cheek.

"I love you," he said quietly.

She stirred then went back to sleep.

***

She only had one more day left after this day. She still couldn't find the right gift for Warrick. It was amazing, she knew the man, but she couldn't shop for him. Usually, he didn't require much and anything he needed, he would get out of the spare closet in the hallway at her home, and Catherine had some items at his house as well.

She paced all over the store. She began to feel nauseous and she ran to the nearest trashcan and threw up. What did she eat? She had a breakfast taco, a soda, some light snacks during graveyard…nothing heavy enough to make her sick. Then again, it could have. She threw up three more times then resumed her shopping. Finally, she found something that he would really appreciate: a photo album and a brass plated picture frame for the picture of his grandmother.

She smiled. She knew he would like it very much.

Her stomach turn flips again, and she tried to hold back, but couldn't make it. She rushed to the restrooms, which were in the front of the store. She threw up several times, then she looked at herself in the mirror. She was pale and pasty looking.

The checker observed her. Catherine was nearly about to fall over.

When she got to the house, she hid the gifts from Warrick then she laid down on the couch.

She was exhausted. What was making her so sick? 

***

Warrick's birthday came, and everyone gave him a gift. He appreciated the little birthday party they threw in the break room. He was younger than Catherine. He was now thirty four, and she thirty-six. They didn't care.

He liked Catherine's gift above everyone else's. He found a ton of pictures that needed to be put into an album.

Later on that night, Catherine stood at the entrance to her living room with one hand behind her back. Warrick was napping on the couch. She walked over to him. He heard her footsteps and woke up.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," she said happily.

She had the perfect gift waiting for him. She sat on his lap and gave him a box with a red bow on it.

"Happy birthday," she said smiling from ear to ear.

Warrick opened the box. He stared at it for a second then looked up at her in surprise.

"You're.." he could barely get the words out.

Catherine giggled and nodded. 

"You are the most wonderful woman in the world," he said, then kissing her. "You're pregnant."

"I found out this morning," she said wiping tears of joy from her face. "I was wondering why I was so sick all of a sudden. I took a test and it was positive. I'm having our baby!"

"I love you," Warrick said.

"I love you too," she said. "Daddy."


End file.
